Trump mixes patriotism with partisanship as he celebrates America's
'joyous' 250th anniversary
[July 06, 2026]
By STEVEN SLOAN and MICHELLE L. PRICE
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump mixed partisan politics with
patriotic appeals on Saturday as he commemorated the 250th anniversary
of American independence, a moment he declared “one of the most joyous
and glorious milestones of all time.”
Speaking in Washington after storms prompted a roughly two-hour
evacuation of the National Mall, Trump honored veterans, including
several from World War II and one of the first Black officers to lead a
Special Forces team in combat in Vietnam. They appeared before flags
that symbolized some of the most significant and challenging moments in
American history, from the one that was draped over Abraham Lincoln's
casket to the one that flew on the plane piloted by the Wright Brothers.
Yet Trump also leaned into partisan territory unusual for an
Independence Day address, which presidents typically use as a moment to
unify the country. Instead, he stumped again for the SAVE America Act,
an elections bill that's encountering challenges even from Trump's
fellow Republicans in Congress. He highlighted his support for the
Second Amendment and revived denunciations of communism, which are
becoming an increasingly central part of Trump's message ahead of the
November midterms.
The speech capped a holiday that Trump has gone to great lengths to
shape to his own tastes. He was introduced by two musical performers who
often appear at his trademark rallies, including Lee Greenwood, who
performed “God Bless the USA.” The event organizers were largely aligned
with the White House, supplanting a bipartisan organization that was
launched by Congress a decade ago.
“We will always be on top,” Trump said. "We will never let our country
fall. We will always be the best.”
Trump didn’t talk about himself as much as he does during his normal
rally speeches. Still, he still found time to include a joke about
seeking a third presidential term and about World War II’s “greatest
generation.”
“They are the greatest generation,” Trump said. “I hate to admit that,
but they are.”
Anticipation for the milestone holiday has been building for much of the
year, serving as an opportunity for Americans to reflect on their
complicated history as onetime colonists of an empire who became a
superpower of their own. Organizers of celebrations months in the making
had to adjust or cancel activities entirely as much of the East Coast
sweltered under heat that approached and in many cases surpassed triple
digits.
Heat is defining the big weekend in many places
Severe weather prompted the cancellation of celebrations in Hartford,
Connecticut, along with Harrisburg and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
Spectators at Boston’s fireworks and concert were told to briefly seek
shelter before events later resumed. An evacuation was also ordered in
Philadelphia. New York and Pittsburgh moved forward with fireworks but
shifted the time to accommodate the shifting weather.
The disruption was particularly acute in Washington, where signs at the
Great American State Fair posted an alert shortly after 7 p.m. ET
encouraging participants to leave the area. Crowds gathered in museums,
subway stations and federal buildings near the Mall. At the Ronald
Reagan Building and International Trade Center they waited in chairs and
sat on the floor to cool off in the air conditioning.
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A bolt of lighting strikes as fireworks are set off of the Brooklyn
Bridge, as seen from Bayonne, N.J., Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP
Photo/Seth Wenig)
Crowds were building in the area several hours before the
evacuation. Tina Hale, 58, of Cohoes, New York, watched three of her
grandchildren children dip their hands into a pool of water near a
museum. Hale pointed toward the sky and urged them to look up as
three military jets roared above the crowd.
“If that doesn’t make you proud to be an American,” she said.
David Koshko, 42, and his wife, Jennifer Koshko, of Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania, came to Washington for a baseball game but planned to
stay for the city’s fireworks show. After baking in the heat for
hours during the Pittsburgh Pirates’ win over the Washington
Nationals, they took a break in the shade of an overpass near the
National Mall to plot their next stop.
“Just to be a part of the 250 years (anniversary) is an amazing
thing,” said David Koshko, a commercial driver and veteran of the
Marine Corps reserves.
In Philadelphia, fireworks began to crack as early as midday in the
birthplace of the nation near the site where the Declaration of
Independence was adopted by delegates to the Second Continental
Congress. Hundreds of visitors were gathering at Independence Hall
in the sweltering heat to await the celebrations coinciding with the
France-Paraguay World Cup knockout game at Philadelphia Stadium,
which began with commemorations of the holiday.
“It’s one big party in here,” Carlos Alban, who traveled to
Philadelphia from Chicago to watch the match, said as he arrived at
the stadium, adding that he spotted a fan in the parking lot dressed
as one of the Founding Fathers.
In New York, tall ships, with their masts, rigging and white sails
outlined against a blue sky, made a procession around the Statue of
Liberty and up the Hudson River, recalling the fanfare around
America’s 200th anniversary in 1976.
The 43 ships were followed by a display of aerial might with a
stealth bomber and the Navy's Blue Angels. Patrouille de France, the
French Air Force's acrobatic teams, flew over New York Harbor with
their red, white and blue trails, evoking images of the American
flag.
“We got up early and just rode our bikes about a mile down here to
come see the scene,” said Oona Moore, a Jersey City, New Jersey,
resident who took in the New York festivities. “We saw the tall
ships and we saw the planes, you know, all different manner of
military aircraft. I’ve never seen it so close and in the sky at the
same time.”
At George Washington's Mount Vernon, people took the Oath of
Allegiance to become U.S. citizens. They stood with eyes closed and
hands over hearts for the national anthem.
In Phoenix, Steven Dortch, 25, and his brother JayLn Dortch, 23,
gathered at Granada Park to try to forge a new July 4 cookout
tradition. JayLn Dortch said young people in the U.S. give him hope
by thinking for themselves and not taking the words from older
people at face value.
He said the country needs to keep in mind the everyday, hardworking
people who “keep America going.”
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